Not You: Indigo Plateau
by Farla
Summary: the third of the Not You stories. This is from POV of the crystal version's starter.


I don't own pokemon, and I'm sick of telling everyone

This is the third Not You story. The first was Not You – Dragon's Den and the second was Not You – Tin Tower.

Not You – Indigo Plateau

By Farla

It isn't you, you know.

I fought for you, right from the beginning. I was sorry at first to leave Prof. Elm, but I figured it was just an errand.

Then, when we were heading back, I saw him. Your rival, the thief. I heard him talking before the fight.

I was so glad I was the one you chose, and that I hadn't been taken by him. He seemed cruel, talking about strength and weakness like that.

So when Elm said you could keep me, I pushed aside my feeling of…abandonment, of being cast off now that his research was done, and decided you were a **good** trainer, a great trainer, and that I should be glad I belonged to you. After all, it could be worse, right? I could belong to him.

I went with you from the beginning, and over your journey. Everyone you met mentioned how evil your rival was, how cruel and coldhearted. I was very glad to belong to you.

Yet, when we met him, near the end, at the rocket base, he didn't seem the same. He questioned his own ideals, wondering aloud if he really was losing because he lacked trust and love. You didn't really seem to care, one way or another. But still, he had spoken often of how much he despised the weak. I didn't think it mattered.

And then, then you fought Clair, and she forced you to take the test.

I wasn't sure, I'm not sure, but I think, when he asked which was more important, strong or weak pokemon, that you might have maybe said strong. But I thought that was impossible, that you weren't like your rival, that the Elder hadn't heard that, that you couldn't have said that.

So he gave you the dratini and Clair gave you the Rising badge.

Then you went to the Tin Tower. You fought your way past the three men, and you entered it.

There stood Entei, Raikou and Suicune. Entei and Raikou ran, but Suicune stayed.

Why? I didn't understand. Why did she stay? I thought they were supposed to run from trainers, because they were fast and did not like to fight. But perhaps you were the one she was waiting for. Yes, I though, that must be it. You were a good trainer, you were strong and pure, not like your evil rival. Hadn't the Elder said you were perfect in soul? Of course it was you.

And you sent out a pokemon. Suicune attacked.

I didn't understand. I wouldn't understand. She must be testing you, I though, deciding if you were worthy. So, as one by one each of your pokemon fainted, even your new dratini that you'd dropped Quagsire off the team for, and when I was sent out, I fought.

I fought as hard as I could, determined that she would see you as worthy, that you would not fail. You were the only trainer I'd ever had, you see. And the only other trainer I knew of was your rival. So you seemed worthy, to me anyway.

And Suicune won, Suicune knocked me out, and I was recalled. Then you captured her.

Well, I had a lot of trouble rationalizing that. But I saw the world in black and white terms. You were good, and your rival was bad. So if you had caught Suicune, it must be okay, you must have passed the test. Perhaps she'd let you, even though you lost, because it isn't like normal pokemon can beat a goddess, so maybe she had just wanted to see how strong you were.

But I had heard, if not seen, heard her scream once before I heard the pokeball close.

You dumped off Jynx and walked on to the pokemon league with Suicune.

And then you beat your rival again, and I heard him talking, realized that he cared now.

Then I realized that he cared but you had won. Did you care more?

No, you had walked by him without care. It didn't matter to you if your rival was kind or cruel. There isn't any kindness or cruelty to you, just strong and weak, winners and losers.

So I know it isn't you. I've been with you from the beginning, and I know it isn't you. How could it be? It wasn't supposed to be you, throughout it all. You're like a flaw in the world, something that can't happen. Because it's the kind trainers, the kind ones who love their pokemon and trust their pokemon, they are the ones who are supposed to win.

A lot of good it did for your rival. For that matter, a lot of good it did for Lance or the Elite Four.

But it isn't you. I don't know what will happen, but something's wrong. You weren't the one who was supposed to capture Suicune, or win. Your rival was, maybe, because he isn't cruel anymore. Or maybe another trainer. But not you.

Because you **don't care**. It took me a long time to realize it, but you don't. People like you are supposed to lose to the good trainers. That's what I though was going on with your rival, but when he was kind, he lost just as fast as before. It isn't you. It never was.

It isn't you.

This is written about the trainer in crystal (girl or boy, doesn't matter) because of how so many people sing your praises about what a kind, good trainer you are. And really, how can you be 'kind' to your pokemon, and why should you care if you are or aren't? 'Friendship evolution' can be prompted by stuffing the pokemon with vitamins. And unless you're using the return move, whether or not your pokemon 'like' (which can also be done by stuffing them with vitamins) you doesn't matter in a fight. Most of the stuff that makes them happy is the same stuff as you're supposed to be doing or that helps you win i.e. gaining levels, not losing battles, winning against a gym leader, using vitamins, not fainting, etc.

Now, in the reviews of the last two, several people (Eevee was the only nasty one, but Alexis, GIR's Cupcake, Arizima and others mentioned this) said that yes, they love their pokemon and are kind to them and honestly care about them. Well, sorry, but you're all insane. Pokemon is a game. That's the point I was trying to make. We can't honestly treat our pokemon with 'trust and love' and those who try to 'win with their favorites' have a tendency to lose against those who chose the strongest pokemon. The idea of this is that the trainer acts just like we do in the game. We can't talk to our pokemon, it doesn't matter if they dislike and for that matter they can't actually dislike us due to the fact they are not alive, have no minds, and are just a few lines of code in a gameboy cartridge.

Finally, I'd like to point out that at the end of your game, your rival starts to honestly care about his pokemon, and it's not like it helps him win or anything.


End file.
